UEA: Police Release Picture Of Dress

Police investigating the discovery of a woman's body at a lake in Norwich have released a photograph of her clothing.

The dress, which is black in colour and features a large rose pattern of peach/cream roses, has a slightly gathered neckline and hem.

The garment, which is a size 10, has ties on the shoulders but features no label indicating where the item was purchased.

Detectives have released the image in the hope it may trigger calls concerning the woman's movements, which remain a mystery following the discovery of the body at about 8.40am on Thursday 1 August at the UEA Broad.

The woman, who was found floating-face down in the water by an angler, is described as white, 5ft 7, of slim build and aged in her late 30s/early 40s. She had short dark brown hair with a natural wave, which had been dyed auburn/dark red.

Detective Inspector Richard Graveling, from Norwich CID said: "This is a fairly distinctive dress and we're keen to hear from anyone who may have seen a woman matching the description and wearing this item in the area around the university in the early part of last week.

"We are unable to establish where the dress was purchased and would be keen to hear from any retailers who believe they stock the item."

A Home Office post mortem carried out at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital proved inconclusive and toxicology tests will be carried out to help establish the cause of death, which continues to be treated as unexplained.

DI Graveling added: "There is no evidence at this stage to suggest the woman was the victim of violence or that a third party was involved, however we are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances surrounding the discovery."

Additional searches were carried out at the weekend after a shoe was found by a fisherman near to a jetty on Friday night (2 August), close to where the body was discovered. No other items were found and police are unable to confirm whether the shoe belonged to the woman.

DI Graveling added: "We continue to receive calls from the public and while most have been ruled out as lines of enquiry, I would still encourage people to get in touch if they believe they have information which could help."

Anyone with information should contact Norwich CID on101.